From swooshing and swooping rides to interactive animal experiences and world-class attractions, SeaWorld San Diego truly makes a big, big splash. See—and learn about—the amazing undersea worlds of animals from around the globe, including penguins, turtles, walruses, beluga whales, and sea lions. Behind the scenes, SeaWorld is also home to marine animals that were injured or orphaned on Southern California beaches, and are being nursed or rehabilitated before they can be returned to the wild.

Located just off San Diego’s Mission Bay, the park offers a variety of ways to learn about and celebrate marine life. Dive into a deep-sea adventure in the Ocean Explorer area, the family-friendly realm that opened in 2017. There, you’ll find five children’s rides and unique aquariums with giant Pacific octopuses, Japanese spider crabs, and California moray eels. See (and touch) harmless rays and sharks, or just be inspired by the killer whales in one of the park’s latest additions, Orca Encounter. Rather than a traditional show, the area with a Pacific Northwest-themed setting features the orcas breaching, spouting, and generally acting naturally in the water, against the backdrop of an infinity screen showing a documentary-style presentation with interesting facts about the majestic mammals. Or, take one of the park’s exclusive tours and you can get up-close encounters with resident dolphins, sea lions, penguins, or gentle beluga whales, also known as the “canaries of the sea.”

Climb aboard a host of rides, too, including the teacup-style Abby’s SeaStar Spin, the flume ride Journey to Atlantis, or Manta, a high-tech, double-launch coaster that has you twisting and diving like a ray. Stay late during the summer (through September) for the Electric Ocean, a light show that transforms rides, shows, and attractions into vibrantly colored displays inspired by the phenomenon of ocean bioluminescence.

Rides at SeaWorld San Diego

The aquatic animals aren’t the only ones who get wet at SeaWorld San Diego. Climb aboard water rides like Journey to Atlantis to sploosh through flumes and kersplash at the bottom of a 18-metre plunge. On Shipwreck Rapids, board a tricked-up inner tube to follow a winding watercourse through a peaceful island setting, then hold for the finish—over waterfalls and into watery cave (and this version of a shipwreck happily includes a café at the end). The 45-metre Electric Eel, which opened in 2018, is now the tallest and fastest roller coaster in San Diego.

Other rides transport you in different ways: Bayside Skyride offers a scenic ride above the bay—and be sure to take the elevator up the Skytower, with its panoramic view of Mission Bay, the Pacific Ocean, downtown San Diego, and beyond. Or, climb aboard a simulated jet helicopter to zoom above icy landscapes on the Wild Arctic ride, which transports you to find a realistic Arctic research station with up-close looks at beluga whales, seals, and walruses. For an immersive "underwater" experience with killer whales, check out virtual reality DeepSeeVR Orca 360, a mesmerising attraction that takes you on a virtual up-close expedition.

The Ocean Explorer area, which opened in 2017, includes the Submarine Quest ride, the swing-style Tentacle Twirl, and little-explorer-friendly rides Octarock, Aqua Scout, and Sea Dragon Drop.

Big kids, meanwhile, will love Manta. Shaped like a giant ray, this coaster uses advanced technology and computerized imagery to make you feel like you’re swooshing, soaring, twisting, and diving through the air, just like a ray. After the ride, see the elegance of these amazing underwater creatures in giant aquarium and check out the grotto, where you can touch the harmless California bat rays as they glide by.

Insider tip: Lines tend to dip during the most popular shows. For speediest entry, get a Quick Queue Premier all-day pass for express entrance to rides.

Live shows and Presentations

Come watch acrobats of the ocean jump, flip, spin and exude their natural charm in both SeaWorld's classic shows and its all-natural marine life experiences.

Go to the lively yet intimate Dolphin Days show to see Bottlenose Dolphins and short-finned pilot whales take to the waters - a great chance to see how SeaWorld San Diego's professional trainers work closely with these marine mammals. It's also a lot of fun, and a chance to get doused in designated splash zones.

Sea Lions LIVE, meanwhile, offers up SeaWorld's take on a sketch comedy show, starring the park's beloved pinnipeds Clyde and Seamore, and their fun-loving O.P. Otter; the trio are pretty pop-culture savvy, with their marine-life-based spoofs on TV shows (as evidenced in “Dancing with the Pinnipeds” and “SLSI: Sea Lion Scene Investigation”). For furry-animal entertainment, go to Pets Rule! and watch a talented cast of dogs, cats, birds, and pot-bellied pigs (most adopted from shelters) entertaining stunts with their trainers—and watch for cameos by emus and kangaroos.

During summer 2017, SeaWorld San Diego debuted an experience with the park’s majestic resident killer whales: Orca Encounter features a Pacific-Northwest-themed backdrop and a three-story-high video screen that shows a documentary-style presentation about how these mammals move, hunt, and communicate in the wild. And taking centre stage, you can watch the resident orcas splash, breach, and otherwise act naturally in the waters.

Explorer's Reef

Even from your first few steps into the park, SeaWorld San Diego aims to transport you to the edges of the ocean and beyond. Start by entering Explorer’s Reef, near the park’s entrance: Walk under a huge wave sculpture to discover the edge-of-the-sea world of the coral reef. Wrap-around touch pools let you stroke brown-banded and white-spotted bamboo sharks (don’t worry, they’re harmless), plus California Round rays and other creatures. For one of the world’s weirder sensations, dangle your fingers and let some of the exhibit’s 4,000 cleaner fish, each about the size of a child’s pinky, harmlessly nibble on your skin.

Go a little deeper into the park for a wide range of aquariums and marine-life encounters, including the up-close Dolphin Point and Sea Lion Point. The 1 million litre Shark Encounter takes you underwater—safely through a 17-metre acrylic tube—to get up close to a shark habitat that includes sand tiger, bonnethead, blacktip, and whitetip reef sharks. Nearby Turtle Reef is home to dozens of threatened loggerhead, hawksbill, and green sea turtles, as well as thousands of tropical fish (play the touch-screen game, Turtlelink, to learn about sea turtle tracking and SeaWorld’s turtle rescue efforts).

One of the biggest cute zones is Otter Outlook, which features a display of California sea otters, and is part of a partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium; check the schedule for daily presentations about this threatened species. And don’t miss the Penguin Encounter, with nearly 300 tuxedoed critters, representing six Antarctic and sub-Antarctic species (including the Gentoo, Macaroni, and Emperor).

For the quirkiest creatures, go to the Ocean Explorer area—which debuted in 2017—and check out the quick-camouflaging giant Pacific octopus, eerie moray, and the massive Japanese spider crabs (the biggest of their kind in the sea). Be sure to stop by The Rescue Plaza, near Orca Encounter, to learn about the SeaWorld Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program, which has rescued more than 17,000 animals over the years—mostly sea lions, seals, and marine birds—with the goal of nursing them back to health and then returning them to the wild.

If you're a fan of Sea Rescue, ABC's Emmy-winning series about those efforts-many of which are based in San Diego-you can watch episodes on the big screen at the park's Mission Bay Theater.

Special Animal Interactions at SeaWorld

It’s one thing to see SeaWorld San Diego’s remarkable collection of exotic animals performing in shows or in their enclosures. It’s another (unforgettable) thing entirely to get up close to the creatures—and even touch them. Two of the most remarkable exclusive experiences have you climb into a SeaWorld San Diego wetsuit to get right into the pool with gentle, snow-white beluga whales, found in Arctic waters.

At Dolphin Encounter, you get to feed, touch and use special signals to communicate with bottlenose dolphins; the Dolphin Interaction Program lets you get right in the pool with the creatures and play with them. Go behind-the-scenes again with the Penguin Up-Close Tour to learn everything about the little black-and-white seabirds, including what they eat and how to help protect them in the wild.

If your family still hasn't gotten its fill of wildlife, take them on the 45-minute Killer Whales Up-Close Tour, which offers an insider's look at how these awe-inspiring mammals are cared for.

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Christie Kreider on Getting Up Close

SeaWorld San Diego's Senior Trainer inspires guests every day to care for our natural world by sharing her own passion for animals.

Tired of shouting, “Don’t touch”? Then SeaWorld San Diego is the spot for you and your younger kids. At this San Diego attraction, kids are invited to get their sticky fingers on everything—including the sea life itself. At the Explorer’s Reef and California tide pools, they can get touchy-feely with schools of cleanerfish, crabs, sea stars, and brownbanded bamboo sharks before heading to the park’s two-acre kid zone, Sesame Street Bay of Play. The only thing that’ll top this area’s water fun and three Muppet-themed rides—Abby’s Sea Star Spin, Elmo’s Flying Fish, and Oscar’s Rocking Eel—is the chance for a photo op with Elmo himself. Or perhaps the giggle-inducing Pets Rule! show, where rescue animals perform off-the-wall stunts.

You won’t find much refuge from the SoCal sun, so stay on top of the sunscreen and take advantage of the indoor exhibits. Tots can put their noses to the enormous Turtle Reef window, walk through the acrylic viewing tunnel at Shark Encounter (as sand tiger and bonnethead sharks circle overhead), and crawl through the “den” of a polar bear.

To help ensure a stress-free day, rent a stroller at Guest Services inside the park entrance. For mobile kids who might like to wander, pick up a wristband on which you can enter your cell phone number if you and your kids and get separated. And, if your children love to sit in splash zones, stash a change of dry clothes in your day pack.

Seasonal Events at SeaWorld

Depending on what time of year you visit, there are fun seasonal offerings at SeaWorld San Diego. During summer, the park has debuted a new take on the evening light show: Electric Ocean takes sit inspiration from the ocean phenomenon bioluminescence, where the ocean glows in the moonlight. The nighttime show, which runs through roughly Labor Day Sept. 4, features the light show, dance music, a DJ colorful and costumed sea creatures taking to the dance floor too.

When the holiday season gets into full swing, the park takes on an ocean-meets-Santa’sWorkshop ambience. SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration (typically running from mid-November to around New Year’s) brings a Santa’s Christmas Village, Rudolph’s Christmastown and holiday-themed shows, such as Dolphin Island Christmas and Clyde & Seamore's Christmas Special, starring the popular sea lion and otter. During the holiday season, the O Wondrous Night show tells the Christmas story using 30 carols and a variety of live animals. Stay through sundown to catch the nightly lighting of the 40-foot animated tree to see how the park’s main landmark, the 97-metre Skytower, looks with with its holiday lights Christmas Tree of Lights.

Regions

Pick a region form the map or the list below to explore.

Regions

Scroll down to explore the twelve regions of California.

1. Shasta Cascade

This region, in California's north-east corner, is know for its mountains, forests, waterfalls, and amazing, safe-to-visit volcanoes. The region, a 3-hour drive north of Sacramento, gets its name from the rugged Cascade Mountains and their signature peak the 4,322-metre Mount Shasta—yes, a volcano.

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2. North Coast

With crashing waves along the coast and soaring redwood trees blanketing kilometres of uncrowded parkland, this is one of California’s most spectacular regions. The largest city, Eureka, is roughly a 5-hour drive north of San Francisco—but what a drive!: see lush wine country, charming villages, spouting whales, and breathtaking sunsets.

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3. Gold Country

The western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Range, defining California’s eastern border, are known as the Gold Country, named after the rich Mother Lode discovered here in the mid-1850s. While gold is still found in the region, new riches include top museums and art in Sacramento, the state capital, plus whitewater rafting, tucked-away towns, farm-fresh dining, and award-winning wines.

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4. San Francisco Bay Area

On the western oceanfront of Northern California, at the state’s distinctive bend along the coast, lies this breathtaking region. It’s framed by an unforgettable gateway—the iconic Golden Gate Bridge—spanning the mouth of San Francisco Bay. Explore diverse cities, picturesque hamlets, family-friendly beaches, coastal parklands, and wine country, including Napa and Sonoma wine country, 1½ hours north of San Francisco.

5. High Sierra

Nicknamed “California’s backbone,” this region of towering granite peaks defines much of the state’s eastern boundary. Visit Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, and the giant trees of Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks—all within a day’s drive of either San Francisco or L.A. In winter, enjoy snow sports; in summer, go hiking, mountain biking, fishing, or boating.

6. Central Valley

Running right down the middle of California, this broad region contains some of most productive farmland in the world. Wine country around Lodi features big, bold reds. Further south, Fresno has a lively arts scene.

8. Deserts

This dramatic region takes up the southeastern half of the state. Remarkable desert parklands, including Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Anza-Borrego, provide an extraordinary chance to explore, while the oasis-like allure of Palm Springs, 3 hours northeast of San Diego, offers sunny resort-style getaways, with golf, tennis, spas, and high-end shopping.

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9. Inland Empire

This densely populated Southern California region has surprising alpine getaways, like Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, in the impressive San Bernardino Range. On the region’s sunny east side, explore the inviting Temecula Valley wine region. The university town of Riverside is the region’s largest city. San Bernardino, the second largest city, has museums and impressive shopping, while Fontana has NASCAR racing.

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10. Los Angeles County

This sunny region along the state’s southern coast is California’s most populated region, best known as the capital of the entertainment industry. Here, film stars really do work in Hollywood, play in the surf at Malibu, and shop in Beverly Hills. Looping motorways make the car king, but the region also has a surprisingly good network of buses and light rail, a hassle-free way to explore.

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11. Orange County

Tucked between San Diego and Los Angeles Counties, this region is known for flawless beaches and “the happiest place on earth,” Disneyland Resort. Anaheim, the theme park’s home, offers a surprisingly hip vibe in a refurbished downtown. Newport Beach has dazzling yachts, Huntington Beach has iconic surfing, and Costa Mesa beckons with top shopping.

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12. San Diego County

This sun-and-surf region is known for some of the best weather and warmest water in the state. San Diego, the state’s second largest city, is home to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, one of the world’s great urban parks. For family fun, play at SeaWorld San Diego and Legoland California. Inland, discover surprising mountain towns like Julian, known for orchards and apple pie.